The importance of home insurance can often be overlooked. It is, sadly, often the case that people only consider home insurance when something goes wrong or theft occurs. A home insurance policy is to protect you for the events that you can’t plan. Theft, floods, damage, and fire are examples of unplanned disasters that can be costly if you do not have the correct home insurance policy to cover the events.
There are two types of home insurance; buildings and contents insurance. They should protect you for the unplanned and potentially costly events in your life.
Buildings insurance
Buildings insurance covers the damage of repairing your home in the event of flood, fire, and damage. It can often cover any surrounding buildings on your property like sheds, outhouses, garages, and driveways. It is important to check your policy thoroughly to check that it meets all of your needs.
Contents insurance
This type of insurance is to covers the contents of your home. This could range from electrical items like a microwave to carpeting or curtains. Specific high-value items like antique jewelry or mobile phones are best to be discussed with your insurer. You may find that you need to include these items as an extra on your policy. Again, it is important to check the contents of your policy to ensure that it is tailored to meet your individual needs.
Excess
Many policies have an excess amount to be paid in the event of a claim. Please read your policy thoroughly, to educate yourself on any excess you will be liable to pay, in the event that you need to make a claim. With many policies available, you can shop around quite successfully to find a policy that you will be happy with.
Do I have to have a home insurance policy?
Some mortgage companies do insist that you have a home insurance policy in place before they will agree on a mortgage for you. This does not mean that you have to take their policy. You are, of course, free to shop around and find the best deal suitable for yourself.
Considering a home insurance policy can often be a daunting task. With many options available, it can be confusing with the range of policies on offer. It is important to consider your individual needs before accepting any policy. If you find a policy that you favor, but need to be added extras, then do speak with the insurer. Often policies can be tailored to suit your needs. It is best to be covered for all eventualities than to find yourself with a policy that does not meet your needs after a disaster has struck!
Insured the housing you own or rent, without even moving? This is now possible with the rise of home insurance online. Below is the essential to remember on these formulas often cheaper than average.
Where to buy home insurance online?
Two types of players currently share the home insurance market online, and it is important to be able to distinguish between each category. However, the competition between the two families of insurers is nuanced since most insurers 100% online are actually subsidiaries of traditional groups.
First, their many so-called “traditional” insurers who have developed a specific offer that can be subscribed directly from the comfort of your home. It is above all a purely practical advantage for the insured, which can affiliate with ease but generally pays the same fee as if he had gone to an agency.
In addition, new 100% online insurers, also known as “pure players”, have made their appearance and offer, on the other hand, a completely dematerialized offer and customer service. These contracts are often a little more competitive and appeal to a younger clientele.
Advantages and disadvantages of home insurance online
An insurance home online will offer exactly the same guarantees, more or less generous, a formula subscribed to in the agency.
As a reminder, good home insurance must cover not only your civil liability but also all unavoidable hazards such as fire, water damage, natural disasters, and electrical surges. There is, therefore, no difference on this point, and it is up to you to select the most appropriate additional guarantees according to your needs (theft, legal assistance).
100% online home insurance is cheaper, faster, convenient to subscribe, and especially easier to compare. Many Internet sites have specialized in the automatic comparison of different market formulas, according to search criteria to be completed by the user.
On the other hand, an online contract excludes the possibility of going to an agency in case of a problem or contestation of a decision of your insurer and makes you dependent on more impersonal means of communication (mail, instant messenger).
Remember that the subscription of a contract as important as the home insurance may justify a meeting face to face with an insurer, especially for the most atypical property.
Good to know: Online comparison sites often only list home insurance offered and marketed by their partner insurers, and are therefore not exhaustive. Before you decide, it is recommended to renew your search on at least two or three different comparators!
What steps to take out home insurance online?
Once the most competitive insurer selected via a comparator, simply go to the website of the professional and follow the instructions on the screen, taking care to accurately and accurately complete all the information requested on your accommodation and your insured profile.
Please note: any incomplete or misleading declaration could lead to a subsequent refusal of compensation, or even complete nullity of your contract!
The insurer will then automatically produce a summary quote, which you are free to pay immediately via one of the means of payment accepted by the site (credit card most often).
Last Thought
You will then promptly receive your insurance certificate by email, and a paper version of your contract will be sent to you by mail. The online home insurance is often cheaper than the others: it may be suitable for an independent clientele who does not feel the need for extensive support and lives in standard housing. If your property is more atypical, do not hesitate to consult a real insurer!
